


girl, I can be your superhero, fly you through the stars, and make light of your darkness

by toniboonch



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Black Cat - Freeform, Comedy, F/F, Fluff, Magic, Marvel - Freeform, Romance, Spider-woman - Freeform, Toni and Cheryl are badass, Toni's clueless, marvel AU, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23454181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toniboonch/pseuds/toniboonch
Summary: A new spin-off comic of The Amazing Spider-Woman!Author toniboonch (The Detective Fic and The Camera Fic) takes the lead of this brand new series starring everyone's favorite female web head and thieving cat!'Spider-Woman and Black Cat' is a fresh, surprisingly mature, new age, superhero love story filled with action, adventure, and witty humor.Watch these heroes take on the great Sorceress, Morgan Le Fey, all while trying to decipher their feelings for one another. Be ready for shocks, laughs, and webs of fun!Available only on AO3
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Comments: 13
Kudos: 108





	girl, I can be your superhero, fly you through the stars, and make light of your darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alex (@sunlightchoni on twitter)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Alex+%28%40sunlightchoni+on+twitter%29).



> hey guys!  
> trying out another new thing here.  
> first let me explain how this came to be (an origin story if you will): ever since choni dressed up as Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn (giving me my harlivy rights) i was completely entranced by the idea of choni superheros. I was trying to write a harlivy, choni fic, but couldn't quite figure it out. Toni doesn't match up with Harley as well and I was struggling with the storyline and also with it being ooc.
> 
> Maria (@endofdaysforme) was able to pull off a great BOP au with Toni as Black Canary and Cheryl as Harley Quinn and I found that I agreed with Cheryl being more in Harley's shoes. that brought on the issue of Toni not really fitting well with Poison Ivy.
> 
> I know this is long stay with me: So I decided to ditch DC entirely. I'm personally partial to Marvel and have more Marvel knowledge, specifically Spider-Man. He's my all time favorite hero and his universe is so vast and easily changeable with how many versions there are of him.  
> So I knew that Toni had to be Spider-Man.  
> Black Cat is my other favorite character in his universe and is severely underused. Cheryl also just so happened to fit Felicia Hardy's backstory perfectly.  
> From there I decided that Toni was going to be Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew). Same outfit, same powers, but with a backstory (a backstory for toni??? what???) more comparable to Peter Parker's with my own original twists.
> 
> Thus this fic was born! GAY HERO RIGHTS!
> 
> Okay, from there some thanks are in order:
> 
> Dee, thank you for encouraging the fuck outta this. You're really my superhero buddy and I love how knowledgeable you are. Thank you for betaing this and giving me so many helpful suggestions to ensure this was the best it could be. It means a lot! Also thank you for finding the title for this. I'm the WORST at naming things. (@chernyyevdovy on twitter)
> 
> This fic is for Alex. She's always been hella supportive and I've been waiting to dedicate something to her for awhile so I thought this one would be great! Thanks lil sis <3
> 
> Okay, I hope you nerds enjoy! Thank you!

_Hey, my name’s Toni Topaz and I’m Spider-Woman! You have probably heard this origin story a million times, but can we make it a million and one? I’m currently swinging to work at the Daily Bugle so I gotta make it fast anyways. I got my powers when I was 18 and no, a spider didn’t bite me like the story you’re familiar with. I’m a biochemical engineering major at NYU and we were studying the elasticity and conductibility of spider webs when paired with electricity during my summer internship. I know. Science. An explosion happened while I was taking notes in the lab; the electricity, mixed with spiders_ **_everywhere_ ** _, and a bit of radiation turned me into Spider-Woman. All the powers of a spider, with the ability to shoot electric bursts. They take a lot outta me, but sure do_ **_shock_ ** _my enemies. What? Bad joke? Anyways, I’m now 21 and spend all of my free time, when I’m not in school, or taking photographs for the Daily Bugle, crime fighting and I gotta say, I’m pretty damn good now. Nothing but petty crimes have taken place in New York for a few months now. It’s quiet. Maybe too quiet? All I know is I sleep more now, which is only a proton. Get it? A positive? Okay, I’ll shut up now. This is my stop anyways. Web ya later! Well hopefully not, because that’d mean you guys are bad… and I don’t think you are, and let’s be real, I’d kick your ass._

Feet touched down on the roof of the Daily Bugle in a smooth landing. Toni smirked to herself as she pulled off her mask, her hair falling down in frizzy waves from the swing over. She pulled her backpack, carrying her camera, water, some snacks, and her clothes, over her shoulder and unzipped it. She hurriedly stuffed her mask inside, and pulled a black tee shirt and grey flannel over her skin tight costume. She then slipped on her black jeans and Converse before rushing to the roof access door and down the stairs. 

_Perks of my superhuman agility, strength, and speed! Stairs are no sweat!_

“Hey, Hermione,” Toni called cheerily, as she entered the floor where her boss’ office was held.

“Hello, Toni! FP is waiting for you with your next assignment. Here’s you pay from last week's Spider-Woman photos. Great shots,” the receptionist replied. 

“Thanks,” Toni smiled, grabbing the white envelope with a check enclosed within. “How’s Veronica doing?”

“Oh, she’s great. Thank you for helping her on the last test. She’s super thrilled to have a great lab partner this semester. I’ll tell her you said hello.”

“Thanks! I like having her in class too. I’ll see her on Monday,” the pinkette smiled and walked down the hall, and through the desks on either side of her. Toni pushed open the doors to FP’s office, only to be face to face with Reggie Mantle, her photography “nemesis” if you could even call him that. He took great photos, but nothing compared to Toni’s. She wasn’t threatened professionally, he more so just bugged the shit out of her.

“Reggie,” Toni greeted with an eye roll. 

“Well lookie here, if it isn’t Spider-Woman’s ass kisser,” he sneered. 

“Whatever dude, sorry she likes me and _not_ you,” Toni smiled. “And well lookie here, _another_ check my ass kissing got me.” The pinkette held up the white envelope and wiggled it in front of his face. 

Reggie narrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms, “Sorry, I don’t speak freak. I’d rather not have to deal with the Bug.”

“Well you do speak _money_ , don’t you?” Toni asked. “Shame it doesn’t speak back.”

“Topaz, Mantle, stop acting like assholes,” FP Jones barked upon entering his office from a side door where he took _personal_ calls. Mainly, his ex wife haggling him for child support.

“Sorry, sir,” Toni mumbled.

“Yeah, Toni’s sorry,” Reggie smirked. 

“I did say your name too, didn’t I?” FP growled, taking a sip of his steaming mug of spiked, black coffee. Toni could smell the Bailey’s. 

_Super senses too. Gotta love ‘em._

“Yes, boss,” Reggie frowned, side eyeing the smaller girl next to him. 

The older man sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Well, first things first: Hermione says I have to start doing _compliment_ shit. Toni, great work last week. The Web Head pictures were great. Reggie, I enjoyed your piece on the police officers at the nine nine, funny group.” The duo smiled appreciatively. “Now, tonight The Blossoms are holding a charity event at their home. I want you both there working party coverage. Dress _nicely_ or I won’t let your ass inside. That goes for you, Topaz.” Reggie snickered and Toni rolled her eyes, but nodded. “Also no fucking arguing or I’ll kick you both out. This is a nice fucking thing and we are gonna act like it!”

“What charity are they donating to?” Toni pondered.

“I have no idea. Who the fuck cares? Just be there. 8pm sharp or you're finished,” FP replied with a wave of his hand. 

The photographers nodded and exited his office. Toni walked behind Reggie stressing about what to wear to the event. She wasn’t rich. Her Aunt Eve, whom she lived with after her parents died, was a nurse, but they still struggled every now and then. Toni made her own money, but between the cost of school and her crime fighting, she wasn’t left with much at the end of the day. She hoped she could just re-wear her dress from prom.

Toni rapidly swung home to her apartment in Queens and sneakily crawled through her bedroom window; her aunt was collecting her dirty clothes from her hamper. “Hey, T,” her aunt smiled.

“Hey, Aunt Eve,” Toni replied, closing her window and blinds, and pulling her mask off. In doing so her black waves of hair turned back into their usual dyed pink locks. The mask featured a cloaking feature, which she had personally invented like everything else included in her suit, to ensure her identity stayed a secret. She’d had pink hair for almost six years and wasn’t planning on giving it up anytime soon. It was her mother’s favorite color. 

“New York safe?”

“Always.”

Toni had to decide to tell her Aunt soon after her powers had developed. The pinkette was freaking out, and wanted a medical opinion to ensure she wasn’t dying. Aunt Eve took it really well and even helped to patch Toni up after bad fights. They were a great duo.

“Hey, Auntie?”

“Yeah?”

Toni cleared her throat, “I have to go to a charity event tonight for work. You think you could make me over?”

Eve smiled, sweeping her dyed blonde braids over her shoulder. “I’d love nothing more, T. Now go shower and give me your suit. That thing _has_ to get washed.”

Toni returned her grin and hopped up, giving her Aunt, a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

“I know.”

A few hours later, Toni looked like an entirely different woman. Her pink hair was curled softly, her eyes painted with shimmery pinks to match her curly locks, her lips glossed, and her old black prom dress hugged her frame. It was a little tight due to her new, muscular, curvier frame, but she could still breath and move in it, and that’s what mattered. 

“You look gorgeous, T. Your mom would’ve loved this,” Eve said with a bright smile. 

“Thanks, Auntie. I’ll see you in a few hours. Call me if you need anything and I’ll come swinging,” the pinkette winked. 

“Will do, Short Stack. I know it’s a work thing, but _have fun_. You don’t do that enough.”

Toni shrugged, “Fun is not in the _superhero_ agenda.”

“Well, tonight it is. Tonight you’re _Toni._ Toni, who is 21. Have a damn drink,” the older woman replied, spanking her butt lovingly. 

Toni rolled her eyes and smiled. “Okay, one drink. I gotta go.”

The taxi ride to the Blossom Estate was obnoxiously long, and was gonna cost the pinkette a pretty penny. She regretted not asking Reggie to carpool, but the thought of being stuck next to that asshole for almost an hour sounded awful. Part of her wished she could have swung, but with her hair exposed by her costume, she would have had a mess of tangles by the time she reached the Estate. FP would have thrown her out for sure. 

Toni felt out of place, the Estate was lined with limos and personal vehicles and she was arriving in an obnoxious, yellow taxi. She bit her lip, paid the driver, grabbed her purse and camera, and exited the vehicle. People stopped and stared at her before looking at her camera and going back to their conversations. 

She was press, nothing more. Little did they know, she was everyone’s favorite hero.

She entered the home, gasping at the stunning gothic decor, shiny floors, and massive interior. 

“Topaz, you clean up nice,” FP commented, walking up to her.

“Uh, thanks. I think,” Toni chuckled. Her boss wore a black suit, white button up, and a black bow tie. He still had his scruff and same slicked back hair, but he looked good. “You do too.”

“Whoa, this place is massive,” Reggie commented, a glass of champagne already in hand. “Toni, looking… sexy?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Toni commented, causing her boss to raise his eyebrows. 

“I said play nice, idiots,” FP growled. “Now ground rules: I don’t care who you talk to. Just don’t hook up with anyone. You can eat and drink, but not too much. Make sure you’re _actually_ getting photos of the event. I’ll throw in an extra $100 for whichever one of you gets better pictures that _include_ the Blossoms. Their daughter is kinda sneaky.”

“Guess it’s mine then,” Reggie smirked. 

“In your dreams,” Toni countered.

“Play nice for fucks sake,” FP sighed. “I need a drink.” He walked away leaving Reggie and Toni to face off. 

“Good luck, Toni.”

“Same to you.”

The duo split up; Reggie heading straight for the middle of the crowd, schmoozing and taking photos head on. Toni stuck to the edge of the room, snapping photos at a distance. 

She stood next to the food, happily munching away at the snacks provided. She hadn’t eaten much that day and they were _really_ good snacks. 

“I personally prefer the spinach puffs, but the bacon ones are not half bad,” a sultry voice purred. 

Toni stopped mid chew and came face to face with none other than Cheryl Blossom, the allusive daughter. She swallowed roughly, “I haven’t tried the spinach ones yet.”

Cheryl’s eyes dropped down to her camera with a soft smile, “I saw you here all alone and thought I’d introduce myself. Are you press? What magazine?”

“Daily Bugle. I’m a photographer. Part time.”

“Do you have a name?”

“I think so,” Toni smirked. 

Cheryl chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest. Her red dress hugged her body just right, she definitely worked out. Toni nodded appreciatively and took a sip of champagne. “May I have it?”

“Since you asked so nicely. It’s Toni Topaz.”

“Toni Topaz. TT. Nice ring. Nice dress,” Cheryl replied, her eyes dropping to scan the girl in front of her. 

“Oh, thanks. It’s old. But, uh, not that old. It’s-”

“Clearly outdated, but no one but me would know otherwise. Despite it being years old, and having a grease stain on your left breast, I quite like it.”

“Hey, this was short notice… Wait, were you looking at my boobs? I’m suddenly feeling objectified.” Cheryl laughed and Toni grabbed her camera, snapping a candid picture of the act. “So you do smile.”

“Oh, how I tire of people saying that to me. Yes, I smile. Just not at events like this.”

“Why’s that? It’s charity.”

Cheryl scoffed with an eye roll. “Hardly, Toni. This is all fake, just like my parents.”

Toni arched an eyebrow. “You wanna talk about it?”

The redhead sighed dreamily, “You’re too good for your own good. Enjoy your picture, Toni. Truly a pleasure meeting you. Hopefully we cross paths again.”

“Wait, Cheryl, where are you going?”

“To bed, this party is a bore and I have classes in the morning.”

“Oh, same. NYU?”

“NYU.”

“Cool,” Toni smiled. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Well now you can definitely count on it. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

The pinkette watched the alluring redhead saunter through her home, and turn to head up the stairs, her mother's calls for her falling on deaf ears. 

__

Toni smiled at the crisp $100 in her hand and shut her apartment door behind her. Tonight was a success, and the look on Reggie Mantles’ face when FP Jones handed her the bill from his own wallet was sweet bliss. 

“Hey, Short Stack. How was the party?” Eve yawned from the couch. 

“Auntie,” Toni scolded. “You should be asleep.”

“I wanted to hear about your fancy night out, T.”

Toni flopped down next to her, swiftly removing her heels and rolling her ankles out. “It was fun. I mainly just ate food. FP gave me a hundred bucks ‘cause I made Cheryl Blossom smile.”

“Cheryl Blossom? The daughter, right?”

“Yep, I have photo proof and everything.” Toni pulled her camera from around her neck, clicked it on, and scrolled through the event. She stopped on the picture of Cheryl and smiled fondly. 

“She sure is pretty. Great shot.”

“Thanks. She goes to NYU so I might see her around. Maybe I’ll give her a copy.”

Eve smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind Toni’s ear before kissing the side of her head. “I know you said no dating with this whole superhero thing and I respect it, but seems like you like her.”

“Like her? I just met her.”

“Okay, maybe like is a strong word. You just think she’s hot. I saw your pupils dilate.”

“Don’t _medical professional_ me,” Toni chuckled.

“You like it when I’m patching you up,” Eve huffed.

The pinkette rolled her eyes. “But yeah, she’s hot.”

“Knew it.”

Toni sighed with a wide smile still planted on her face. “Goodnight, Auntie.”

“Goodnight, Short Stack.”

—

Toni walked around NYU the next morning looking at all the advertisements hung up. Apparently the anthropology building had just received an amulet dug up in England. They wanted people to come see it encased in the mini museum they had going on. Students would get in for free, but non students had to pay, ensuring revenue for the department. 

Toni wondered what kind of thieving attention the new attraction would bring and made a mental note to do a run around that area on her patrol later that night. 

“Well if it isn’t Toni Topaz. How do you fair today, TT?” A voice purred. 

Toni snapped her attention away from the banners and turned to smile at Cheryl Blossom. “Hey Cheryl! I’m good, how are you?”

“Fantastic, now that I’ve seen you. What class are you off to?”

“My natural chemistry lab.”

“Snooze fest,” Cheryl smiled. 

Toni rolled her eyes, “You seem to be in a better mood today.”

“A day away from my home is a day I appreciate,” Cheryl responded. “How did the photography go?”

“Great. Your laugh earned me an extra Ben Franklin,” Toni said. Cheryl moved from her position blocking the pinkette and they began to walk together. 

“You’re welcome.”

They walked in silence for a bit, “Oh, did you hear about the amulet?”

“Pray tell, TT.”

“They brought it in from England and are displaying it in the anthropology building. It’s purple and seems cool. Maybe we could go check it out? Students are in for free.”

“As lovely as that sounds I’m afraid I am busy after school,” Cheryl frowned. 

Toni shrugged, “Nah… that’s cool. Some other time?”

“Perhaps with that new _Ben Franklin_ , as you like to say, in your pocket, we could go out on a proper outing?” The redhead smiled, biting down on her lip.

“Oh. _Oh._ Yeah, I’d love that, Cheryl. Thanks for coming to find me.”

“I didn’t come to find you,” the redhead rolled her eyes. “It was merely a coincidence.”

“A business major doesn’t need to come to this side of the school, but nice try,” Toni chuckled. 

“How’d you know-”

The pinkette smiled, “I did some reading. Have a good day, Cheryl. I have a lab to get to.”

_Totally nailed that! Someone hire me to teach Flirting 101!_

“You too,” Cheryl replied, stopping dead in her tracks to let the brunette enter the chemistry building. The redhead watched her until she couldn’t anymore and turned to look at the amulet banner, an idea forming in her mind. 

“Hey, Toni,” Veronica Lodge chirped upon seeing her lab partner's entrance. 

“Hey, Ronnie,” Toni smiled sitting down next to her.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Veronica noticed.

“Things are going good right now,” the pinkette responded with a nod of her head. 

“Hey, I’m gonna be here late tonight to check out the amulet if you would like to join in?”

Toni winced, “Ah, I can't, Ronnie. My thing-”

“Yeah, your _thing_ you do every night. I remember. Thought I’d ask anyways,” the girl replied, situating her glasses on her nose. 

“Thanks.”

—

Toni swung from her web, doing a back flip before seamlessly landing on the roof of the anthropology building. She was making her nightly round as Spider-Woman and so far everything was fine. She just wanted to ensure the amulet was still safe and sound. She knew about twenty people who would try to steal it. 

Spider-Woman began to climb down the side of the building, glancing in each window. 

_Perfect._

_Perfect._

_Nothing there._

_I am bored._

_Nothing there._

_Perfect._

Then her keen eyes landed on a black suit and white hair that she hadn’t seen in a few weeks. 

_Black Cat. Literally top of my list of people who would try to steal this._

She slowly opened the window in front of her before sliding in soundlessly and climbing on the ceiling. Black Cat was hunched over a box of files, flicking through them silently. 

“Hey, Kitty Cat. Missing your yarn ball?”

The woman huffed before standing up. “Are you always this up in my litter box, Bug Brain?”

“Ah, fighting cat jokes with cat jokes. I like the banter improvement,” Spider-Woman replied, dropping down from the ceiling. “I hope you’re not here to steal that amulet. I know it’s shiny and all, but no touchy.”

Black Cat's green eyes rolled flawlessly as she stood up to face the red and yellow clad hero in front of her. “Oh, you mean this?” She asked, holding up the already stolen amulet. “You’re right about it being shiny.”

“What? You work fast.”

“As if you’ve ever known me to work slow.” Her plump lips pulled into a smirk as she tossed the treasure up and down in her hand. 

“Fair. So do you wanna go up to the roof and fight for it? I haven’t punched someone in the face in a while.”

“Sure, why not. I could use a little exercise.”

Spider-Woman turned and crouched down, “Come on! I’ll give you a _kitty_ back ride.”

“You’re insufferable,” Black Cat hissed.

The hero shrugged, “Green Goblin thought I was funny.”

“Green Goblin laughed at everything. His default setting was laughter, Bug Brain.”

“Pretty sure he’s not laughing in his jail cell right now.” 

“Just get to the roof so I can go home with my amulet and sleep.”

“Aw, someone didn’t have their cat nap?” Spider-Woman frowned.

Black Cat leapt through the open window, clawing into the side of the building as she climbed up it. The black haired woman was not far behind as web slung herself onto the roof.

The white haired woman’s green eyes angrily popped over the building before she pulled herself into the roof with a fancy tuck and roll.

“Hey, you made it,” Spider-Woman grinned. 

Black Cat threw a punch that Spider-Woman easily dodged with a duck, before kicking the amulet out of her left claw. She shot a web, bringing the amulet into her own hands in record time.

The thief front flipped forward, landing a launching kick into the hero’s chest that sent her flying backwards. Spider-Woman somersaulted into a standing position with a heavy breath. “Whew, that one knocked the wind outta me. Is this how you always feel?”

“Funny. Cough it up,” Black Cat sneered, her claws coming out further from her gloves.

“What? The amulet or a hairball? Because I’m pretty sure the hairball is your area.”

Black Cat took off in a sprint towards her, claws raised. She slashed the right one down, which Spider-Woman easily dodged, only to connect a punch to her face. The white haired woman winced slightly, only to roundhouse kick her opposer in the same place as payback. Spider-Woman dropped to the ground, the amulet falling from her grasps. Black Cat picked it up with a purr as she observed it for damage. 

The red and yellow clad hero spun a web, connecting the sticky rope to Black Cat’s leg. The dark haired woman pulled roughly, toppling the thief to the ground. Spider-Woman jumped up on all fours and shot another web, stealing the orb back. Her hands began to glow yellow and Black Cat’s green eyes widened.

“Don’t you dare shock me,” she yelled. She rolled out of the way of the first blast which charred the ground next to her. The white haired woman swung her legs up and pushed up with her arms, landing the perfect kip up. Her white gloved hands came up around her face in fists as she slowly circled her opponent. Spider-Woman circled with her, her hand beginning to glow once again. Black Cat cartwheeled to the left narrowly missing the electric shock that would no doubt knock her out cold; it had happened before. 

Spider-Woman charged forward, throwing a punch which Black Cat blocked with her forearm. They began to fight in close proximity, throwing and blocking punches at nearly the same speed. Black Cat was caught off balance to which Spider-Woman used to her advantage. She swiftly dropped to the floor, leg sweeping her enemy in one fluid motion, prompting the silver haired woman to land on her back with a loud thud. She coughed loudly as the air was pushed from her lungs.

Spider-Woman smirked over the thief, tossing the amulet up and down mockingly. “I win, Kitty Cat.”

“Oh, do you?” The black latex clad woman smirked. She threw a little ring onto Spider-Woman’s red thigh.

“What the h-” 

Suddenly, thousands of volts of electricity shot threw Spider-Woman and she dropped to the floor in a convulsing mess; the amulet dropped from her grasp as her body shook.

“I said you couldn’t shock me, but never said I couldn’t shock you,” Black Cat smiled as she watched her nemesis shake. “For shooting electricity yourself, it sure seems to have quite the effect on you.”

“B-B-B-” Spider-Woman stuttered, the electricity from the tiny device soon stopped its flow and she slumped to the floor, her eyes fluttering open and closed.

_Bitch!_

“See you around. Thanks for the amulet,” the thief smirked, picking up the purple orb. She sauntered away, swaying her hips with extra sass, as Spider-Woman groaned, slowly recovering from the shocks. Black Cat pulled out her grapple hook and launched it at the nearby building pulling herself to it. Soon she was out of sight and Spider-Woman had finally stopped sizzling. 

“F-Fuck,” she choked out, standing up shakily. 

_At times like this I’m thankful for my quick healing cells._

___

Black Cat crawled through her bedroom window, the amulet still tightly in her grasps. She pulled her thin mask from her face. The take away of the mask also deactivated the cloaking on her hair and eyes, returning them to their natural colors. She shook out her red hair, running her hands through it to detangle some pieces. 

Cheryl Blossom stared at herself in her vanity mirror; it appeared that Spider-Woman had gotten her good on her cheek as it was slightly raised and red from her strong punch. Nothing her super suit couldn’t help her heal. It was the best money could buy, giving her super strength, speed, and agility. It protected her, boosting her human healing properties 100 fold, and also helped keep her identity hidden by changing her hair and eye color. It was the perfect suit to make her the perfect weapon, her years of self defense training only aiding in her resolve.

Cheryl didn’t need to steal, her parents had made them rich due to their own criminal activity. She _liked_ to steal. It was fun. It gave her something to do, and fighting Spider-Woman was as fun as it got. There was something so cat and mouse about their pursuit of each other, pun partially intended. They both came so close to truly defeating the other, but would pull up at the last second. The fighting was just a fun side hobby to their polar opposite purposes of stealing and saving the day. A massive stress reliever and after the night she had at the charity event she needed it.

Talking to Toni Topaz wasn’t half bad; she was a funny, witty girl, whom Cheryl had found herself entranced with. She seemed genuinely good, unlike the other people who filled her home that night. Cheryl honestly couldn’t wait to see her again, which is why she did some research on the girl, finding out she was a bright, talented, future biochemical engineer. Cheryl had wound up roaming near the science buildings hoping to spot her bright pink hair and she did. She even got a date out of it, or what she hoped was a date.

The redhead dropped the egg in an iron bowl her Nana had given her. It was _real,_ pure iron, and a family heirloom. It was encrusted with their crest from the Old Kingdom.

Suddenly, a purple energy wave launched from the orb, knocking Cheryl back into the wall of her bedroom, smashing a hole into it. She passed out from the impact, not seeing the amulet shake and sizzle in the bowl before literally throwing itself from it and onto the floor. It shook and rattled on the wood just as the redhead was coming to. She blinked slowly, rubbing her head, before she rolled over. Her eyes widened in shock as a ghostly figure appeared from the stone. The figure looked like some sort of _sorceress_. Her hair was brown and crazily long, a deep plunging green dress wrapped her frame, and a gem hung from her neck. She looked at Cheryl with glowing purple eyes before raising a fist to shoot out a purple energy ball. Cheryl yelped and flipped out of the way, the heat of the ball still being felt on her left side from her narrow escape. The witch screamed before flying out of her window and into the night. The redhead swallowed roughly, running to watch the ghost take off towards the city.

“Oh shit.”

Maybe she should have let Spider-Woman have it after all. 

__

“Morning, Ronnie,” Toni hummed, sitting down next to her lab partner. The pinkette noticed how drastically different her classmate looked. Instead of her usual cardigans, long skirts, headbands, and glasses, she wore a tight fitting black dress, pearls draped around her neck, and _makeup._ Her glasses were nowhere to be seen, which was _extra_ strange because of Veronica’s horrible nearsightedness; there was no way she could even see the board unless she got contacts.

_The fuck? Glow up much?_

“Good morning, Antoinette,” Veronica replied.

Toni cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, dude. I am digging this new look. Using my full name was a little weird, but I’ll allow it. The dress is _wow.”_

Veronica stared straight ahead, her ramblings almost robotic. “I saw the amulet last night. Beautiful. I had this big draw to it, like it was calling out to me.”

The hairs on the back of Toni’s neck raised at her words and soon her Spider Sense started going crazy. Flashing images and warnings sounded off in her head, but she couldn’t pinpoint where the threat was. It kept going off, the noises getting more and more painful with each passing second.

“I feel so good _now._ I woke up feeling incredible; I don’t even need my glasses. It’s like some sort of miracle.”

“I g-gotta g-go,” Toni stuttered, grabbing her bag and rushing out of the classroom holding her head.

_Something is seriously off with Veronica. My Spider Sense was going crazy. Maybe that electric shock Black Cat gave me yesterday scrambled my brain._

Toni growled under her breath as she exited the chemistry building. She needed some space to think and figured the big fountain on campus would be good to do so. Many people were either not here, or in class right now, so she could have some alone time.

The pinkette walked over to the fountain only to see Cheryl Blossom, her nose stuck in an old, leather bound book.

“You read Latin?” She mused, causing the redhead to drop her book. She looked exhausted and her lip was cut, the same as her cheek.

“I know five languages, and yes, Latin is one of them.”

“Your face,” Toni frowned, reaching up to touch the wounds, but she quickly dropped her hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I sleepwalk,” Cheryl said with a roll of her eyes. “Walked right into my door.”

“I’m sure that woke you up,” Toni smiled, trying to make light of the situation.

_She must have been running full force to cause that kind of damage._

Toni wasn’t in any position to push further; she barely knew the girl.

“Yes, it really did,” Cheryl sighed.

“What are you reading?”

“Myths. It’s written in Old English, not Latin as you presume.”

“Impressive, Blossom. Old English, Latin, and English… What are the other two?”

“French and Spanish. I’m currently working on German.”

Toni let out a low whistle, “You’re insane. I was trying to learn ASL for a while, but I got too preoccupied.”

“With all of your scientific discoveries at your internships?”

“You could say that,” Toni shrugged. “You’ve really done your research on me, huh? Why are you reading a book in Old English?”

“More research,” Cheryl shortly replied. 

“Is it helping?”

“Not at the moment, but I am distracted.”

Toni smirked, “Oh, by whom?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, TT?”

“I would, that's why I'm asking.”

Cheryl chuckled. “You’re insufferable,” she teased.

Toni frowned slightly, “I’m what?”

_I’ve been called that before. Spider-Woman’s been called that before._

_“Insufferable._ It's not kind, but I was merely teasing.”

“No, I know what it is. I just wanted to make sure I heard you right, is all. A _friend_ says that a lot, so it caught me off guard.”

“Well, sorry to do so.”

“It’s cool.”

They went quiet for a moment and Toni contemplated sitting down next to her, but Cheryl had different plans. “It was nice seeing you Toni, but this is really important,” the redhead replied, her eyes soft as she gestured to her book. 

“Yeah, no prob. Catch ya later?”

“Yes, please.”

__

Black Cat scaled another building, frantically looking for her spider-counterpart. She had to tell her about what happened last night and was infuriated she couldn’t seem to find her. New York was a massive city, but Spider-Woman wasn’t usually this sneaky. 

The white haired woman pulled herself onto the roof, her eyes scanning the rooftops for a flash of red or yellow. Off in the distance a figure swung from a rope, flipping in the air, before shooting another one and continuing their swing. _Spider-Woman._

Black Cat took off sprinting, easily leaping from roof to roof to get closer to what she was looking for. She dove off a building using the grapple hook, modified by her own hand, to latch onto a building and swing in the air. She released only to shoot the gun at the next building, continuing her Spider-Woman like swing. 

Black latex hit the concrete of a roof as she tucked and rolled, popping up to her feet to start running again. Spider-Woman had disappeared from her sights and she needed a moment to look around and find her again.

“Lookin’ for someone, Kitty Cat?”

Black Cat smirked to herself and turned around, her arms crossed. “Ah, just the bug I was looking for.”

“Me?” Spider-Woman questioned, pointing to her own chest. She stood from her squatted position. It was her typical hero, resting pose. Feet planted firmly on the ground, knees bend, fingertips perched delicately on the floor. 

Black Cat rolled her eyes, “Yes, you! Are there any other bugs I should know about?”

“Uh, not that I’m aware of, Fur Ball. So, did you come to give back the amulet or what?”

“The amulet that I won fair and square?” The thief smirked.

“Whatever.”

“Actually, no-”

“Not surprising.”

Black Cat huffed, “Would you shut up for two seconds? God, do you think Captain America does this much chit chat?”

“Not on the battlefield, but he’s quite chatty over coffee.”

The white haired woman rubbed her eyes, hissing to herself over having to deal with the woman before her. “You’re insufferable.”

“I get that a lot actually,” Spider-Woman chuckled. 

“Listen, the amulet… it’s magic,” Black Cat replied, watching as her counterpart's mouth opened in shock. “I brought it home and this _ghost-like_ image floated out of it. She tried to kill me and then fled into the city. I’ve been trying to figure out who she is all day. All I know is that she’s extremely powerful. I need your help.”

“You’re telling me this, why?” Spider-Woman asked, her arms crossing over her chest as she took a few steps towards the thief. 

Black Cat huffed, “I’m not the bad guy you think I am. Sure, I like to steal, but I don’t want to hurt anyone because of it. I only try to steal from rich businesses and corporations. This amulet could cause a lot of destruction due to my recklessness. Whoever was trapped inside is _dangerous,_ and I would like to repair my mistake with your help.”

“Fine, Kitty Cat. I’ll help you,” Spider-Woman replied. “Reconvene here in a couple of days with whatever research you have. I wanna know who we’re dealing with.”

“So, you _can_ be serious?” Black Cat hummed.

“When lives are at stake,” Spider-Woman replied coldly. She jumped to the edge of the building, and looked back at the white haired woman before front flipping off and web swinging away. 

Veronica Lodge tossed and turned in her bed that night, in a cold sweat. Her body shivered and ached, a voice played over and over in her head, telling Veronica to let her in. She couldn’t hold her advances off any longer. The girl’s body began to float from her bed, her face contorted in pain. Suddenly, her eyes opened, nothing but purple light emanating from them. She screamed as purple smoke and magic surrounded her, engulfing her in the power. 

__

_Medieval, Medieval, ah, there it is._

Toni turned down the Medieval section in the NYU library, hoping to find some information on the amulet or on magical beings. While the internet was a fast and easy source, nothing beat old fashioned book research. Her eyes scanned the titles, wondering which book she should pick up first, when a flash of red hair pulled her from her thoughts.

“Cheryl?” Toni questioned, watching as the girl turned to face her.

“Toni? What are you doing here?” She questioned. 

“Uh, it’s a public library,” she chuckled in response.

Cheryl smirked fondly. “No, in this section.”

“Homework. What are _you_ doing here?”

“Same.”

Toni nodded. “Hey, did you hear the amulet got stolen? Bummer we couldn’t see it.”

“Yeah, a real shame,” Cheryl replied, her eyes going back to the texts before her. 

“You… you look _nice_ ,” the pinkette complimented, looking the redhead up and down. Her exposed legs were so _toned._ Toni contemplated asking her what her workout routine was just so she could keep her focus on them. 

“Oh, uh… thank you, TT,” Cheryl replied, a slight blush forming in her cheeks. 

Suddenly, Toni’s Spider Sense kicked into overdrive and she knocked Cheryl to the ground, covering her up with her own body. The big glass window to their left suddenly exploded and Toni watched as her classmate, Veronica Lodge, floated in. Purple magic spun around her as it reached out, collecting, and searching through the books. Toni bit her bottom lip and looked down at Cheryl, who was breathing heavily. 

“You good?” Toni asked. 

“Y-yes,” Cheryl responded, her hands coming up to grip Toni’s hips. 

The pinkette quickly rolled off of her. “Be quiet, stay low.”

The redhead nodded and looked over towards Veronica, giving Toni an ample amount of time to slip away and change into her costume.

“Toni, th-” Cheryl began spinning to look for the pinkette. “Toni?”

Suddenly, Spider-Woman leapt in through the shattered glass window, launching herself directly at the flying being. She was thrown back by the magic that swirled around the woman, protecting her in some sort of sphere. 

Cheryl knew she had to help and she slowly crawled to the entrance of the library, her bag holding her outfit in tow. 

“Veronica?” Spider-Woman yelled, dodging another purple blast from her classmate. “Ronnie?”

 **_“There is no Veronica here,”_ ** a multi layered voice cackled. Veronica lifted her hands, shooting two, of the many, magic appendages that were searching the library, in Spider-Woman’s direction. She flipped out of the way of one, only to be back handed and launched into a nearby bookcase by the other. The bookcases toppled over in a domino effect. Spider-Woman webbed herself to the ceiling, taking a moment to breathe and think. 

Suddenly, Black Cat jumped in through the open window. “Need some help, Bug Brain?” she smirked.

Veronica turned to her, shooting some small blasts of energy in her direction. Black Cat dodged them easily and tried to kick Veronica, which only sent her flying to the other side of the library. 

“If you can _actually_ help, sure!” Spider-Woman called back, pulling Veronica’s attention to her. She swung around the library, performing many aerial tricks to dodge the blasts and magic tentacles that were launched her way. Veronica caught her with one arm, launching her through the other window.

Spider-Woman felt the glass cutting her back as she broke through it. 

_Ah, fuck. Glass is the absolute worst!_

She spun webs, catching herself midair and catapulting her back through the same window. She went to punch Veronica only to be slapped down to the ground. The dark haired hero groaned, the wood of the floor splintering around her from her body’s impact. 

**_“Mortal, fools! How dare thee attack the great Morgan Le Fey! I curse this land, you will all succumb to my power,”_ ** Veronica screamed, swiftly exiting the library, two thick old books in her hands. 

Spider-Woman rolled over with a wheeze, a white gloved hand helping her to her feet. “That was c-crazy.”

“Yes, it truly was,” Black Cat nodded. 

“She slapped us around like we were nothing,” Spider-Woman sighed. 

Black Cat laughed, “No, she slapped _you_ around like _you_ were nothing.”

“Excuse me? I remember seeing black latex flying over that way and not coming back,” the black haired woman frowned, pointing to the other side of the library. 

“We clearly have to do more research. She’s obviously not in her true form. The spirit I saw looked nothing like that girl floating. Maybe she’s just using her as a vessel.”

“Yeah, that girl is Veronica Lodge, not Morgan Le Fuckface, or whatever the hell her witchy name is.”

“How do you know Veronica?” Black Cat eyed suspiciously.

“Oh, her mom works at the Daily Bugle,” Spider-Woman shrugged. “I get photographed a lot by this one girl that works there... pink hair. Toni, I think. Hermione has to reach out to me to get _‘my permission’_ so I don’t sue.”

Black Cat nodded, familiarity in her eyes. “Makes sense.” She pulled her lips in a tight line, “Wait, how does she even reach you?”

“I have a gmail,” the hero shrugged.

Black Cat shook her head, “so, the witch said her name was Morgan Le what?”

“Pretty sure it was Fey.”

Again, the masked thief's green eyes lit up with recognition. “Like King Arthur, Morgan Le Fey?”

“Oh, I’m not sure! Should I go ask her?” The hero huffed, crossing her arms. 

The white haired woman rolled her eyes, “No. That just means we have a timeline to look up. Are we still reconvening tomorrow night?”

“Yeah,” Spider-Woman nodded.

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” Black Cat replied, back flipping out through one of the smashed windows. 

Cheryl paced around her bedroom, chewing her bottom lip nervously. 

“It’s obvious,” Cheryl groaned. “It’s so obvious.”

She hoped it wasn’t true. Toni disappearing and then Spider-Woman appearing moments later? It was too coincidental to be coincidence. She couldn’t stand Spider-Woman, but she really liked Toni. The charm the pinkette had the hero did not share, but they had the same witty humor, the same lush lips, the same hypnotic, raspy voices, but… no. The redhead didn’t want it to be true. If Toni _was_ Spider-Woman, she would want nothing to do with Cheryl once she figured out that she was Black Cat. 

It was a lose-lose situation. 

But Cheryl knew deep down that Toni Topaz was Spider-Woman.

__

The redhead watched Toni trudged to the chemistry building. She was moving slowly as if she was sore and a bandage could be seen peeking out from the collar of her tee shirt. 

“Hey, TT,” Cheryl called out, pulling her attention to the side of the building. 

Toni walked over, a wide smile on her face. “Hey, Cheryl. How’s it going?”

“Great,” Cheryl breathed, pulling her closer, ensuring they were more hidden. “I just wanted to thank you for protecting me yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah. No problem,” Toni replied, nonchalantly. “That witchy chick was scary.”

“You took off so fast you missed Spider-Woman and Black Cat fighting her off. The girl looked a lot like Veronica Lodge. Isn’t she your friend?”

“Spider-Woman? Whoa, that must’ve been awesome. Black Cat is cool too. And yeah, Veronica is my friend. That’s why I took off, I was running to check on her, but she-she wasn’t in class,” Toni frowned, her eyes shining. 

Cheryl would’ve believed her lie if she wasn’t such a _bad_ liar.

“Are you Spider-Woman?”

Toni looked taken aback by her question and instantly shook her head. “I wish!” She laughed. “But, no. I’m not. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering. I was shaken up yesterday, my apologies.”

“No, no, you’re fine. I have to get to class though.”

“Right, enjoy.”

The pinkette stretched forward, pulling the redhead into a warm hug. Cheryl breathed in deeply and instantly hugged her back, melting in her embrace. “Glad you’re okay.”

“Thank you, again.”

“See you.”

“Bye, TT.”

Toni Topaz was undoubtedly Spider-Woman and Cheryl was undoubtedly enamored by her.  
  


__

A call from the Daily Bugle sent Toni swinging over after school. Veronica, once again, had not shown up to classes and she was sure Hermione was freaking out. This call was from FP though, promising another assignment. 

The pinkette walked through the front door, noticing Hermione’s absence at her desk, and she frowned. 

“Topaz, get your ass in here!” FP yelled from his office, causing the girl to sprint through the desks to get to him. “I got word that you and that Blossom girl are close?”

“What?” Toni asked, shutting his door behind her. 

“You and the Blossom girl! Are you guys friends?”

“Uh, yeah I guess. We see each other at school,” Toni replied, feeling nervous.

“Is there any way you could get any behind the scene scoop on her?”

“What? Hell no. I’m a photographer, not a journalist. Cheryl is my _friend._ I’m sorry FP, but I can’t just sell her out like that.”

“Kid, think of the money!”

“I don’t give a shit,” Toni growled, opening the door and walking out. 

FP sighed and sank back into his chair. “Okay, Mantle. If you want the job, it’s yours.”

Reggie appeared from the corner of the room. “I would love the opportunity, sir.”

“Great, keep close to both Toni and Miss Blossom. If they’re as close as you say, where there’s one, you’ll find the other. I just want a good story on that girl.”

“Of course, boss,” Reggie smirked, watching Toni leave the office. 

__

“So, what did you find out on Morgan what’s-her-face?” Spider-Woman asked.

“Morgan Le Fey,” Black Cat corrected gently. “She’s a sorceress from the Old Kingdom. It seems that the iron bowl I put her in harmed her, awakening her from her slumber. She’s part _faerie_ and iron hurts them. She is, in fact, using Veronica as a host. She needs to perform a sacrificial ritual in order to get back to her final form.”

“This is insane!”

“We have to use the capturing spell to put her back into the amulet and then put that amulet in pure gold. She took Merlin’s spell books from the library which holds the spell. Lucky for you, I can read Old English.”

“You can?” The hero questioned. “That’s… cool.”

_Cheryl can too. Was there some elective offered in high school I missed out on?_

Black Cat chuckled, almost nervously, as she tucked a lock of white hair behind her ear. “It’s useful.”

Spider-Woman huffed, “Yeah.”

“Any word on Veronica?” The thief asked quickly, changing the subject.

“I have access to police radios. There were multiple reports about a floating, purple girl heading into the subways system. It’s so vast down there and would take forever to check all of them. Plus, she could also move to the sewers, and I’ve spent way too much time down there as it is.”

“Is that your home?” Black Cat said before she could help herself. Cheryl was trying to be nicer to the woman in front of her, especially since she was eighty percent sure she was the object of her desires and the fact that she was helping Cheryl correct her monumental mistake. 

“What? No, I had to fight a giant lizard! He fuckin’ _loved_ the sewers.”

“Right. I apologize.”

Spider-Woman’s jaw dropped open slightly, “You do?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Uh, well… okay, thank you.” The hero began to pace back and forth in front of her counterpart, deep in thought. She began to mumble to herself, working out an idea. “I could invent a device that could scan for high energy levels. Like a thermal tracker, but more powerful to get through the layers of concrete. We could pinpoint where Veronica is… it would save so much time.”

“How do you know how to make things like that?” Black Cat piped in, interrupting her thought process. 

“I’m smart.”

Toni crawled through the window of her apartment with a deflated sigh. 

“Everything good, T?” Her aunt asked, entering the room upon hearing her niece’s window slam shut.

“No,” Toni whined, flopping back onto her bed and ripping her mask off. 

“What’s up?”

“This… there’s…” she rolled over, screaming into her pillow. Eve waited it out, letting the girl get her frustrations out as she smirked at the action. Toni’s mother used to do the same thing. “I’m working with Black Cat.”

“That thief you _always_ talk about?”

“Yeah, the one in the black latex, white hair.”

“Why are you working with her?” Eve pondered, sitting at the edge of Toni’s bed. 

“She accidentally released this witch from the Old Kingdom! She possessed Veronica Lodge and is trying to get to her true form to take over the planet and I’m… I’m _terrified._ This is _real_ magic… this is an Avengers level threat… I don’t know if we can do it. I don’t want Veronica or anyone to get hurt…”

“You’re such a sweet girl,” Eve replied, grabbing Toni’s hand. “You can do anything. I’ve seen you take down countless people by yourself. Now you have a friend.”

“I don’t know if-”

“If she’s your friend?”

“She’s so hot and cold with me… I just never know what to expect. Between her and Cheryl I’m being driven up the wall. Women are confusing.”

“How so?”

“Well I’ve always been kind of attracted to Black Cat in a way-”

“Oh, honey. It’s pretty obvious.”

Toni gave her Aunt a side eye before continuing her explanation. “I know she steals, but I can tell that deep down she’s a good person. She’s just on the wrong path. I keep trying to get through to her, but nothing has worked. Suddenly, she just comes to me, admitting that she’s wrong, and that she needs my help. It’s completely out of character for her… it makes me think that _maybe_ she’s changing, but I still don’t know if I can trust her.”

“And what about Cheryl?” 

“Yeah, she flirts with me, but then never acts on it. I don’t even have her phone number, but she tracks me down at school just to say hi. I really like being around her and talking to her, but the other day she asked me if I was Spider-Woman out of the blue? I panicked and ran away… I _like_ her, Auntie, way more than I do Black Cat, but I’m not sure what’s ethical here.”

“What’s ethical is preserving _your_ feelings. Tell Black Cat and Cheryl how you feel.”

“They’re like the _same_ , stubborn person! I don’t know how that will go over. I don’t even know if I should pursue Cheryl. I’m Spider-Woman. She might get hurt.”

“I think that Blossom girl is stronger than you think,” Eve replied with a soft smile. “You’re stronger than you think. Put Black Cat in her place, save the day, and then go get the girl. Just like all of the _real_ heroes.”

Toni eyed her with a gasp, “Was I not a real hero before?”

Even shrugged teasingly and Toni rolled her eyes. “You’re the realest that there is, Short Stack. I love you.”

“Love you too, Aunt Eve. Thanks for the pep talk.”

“Anything for you. Now go clean up, I made tacos!”

“Hell yeah!”

—

Toni walked through the doors of the Daily Bugle, fully expecting to never see the inside of the building again after her last outburst. Hermione was still missing, probably worried about her daughter. Toni averted her eyes from the woman’s desk, feeling guilty she hadn’t returned Veronica home safe yet. 

Apparently more people were finding out about Morgan Le Fey; FP had called her in to get pictures of the floating witch. 

The pinkette’s eyes lifted from her shoes to see none other than Cheryl Blossom punch Reggie Mantle in the face. Toni blinked slowly as the redhead began to yell at FP and stomped out of his office, slamming the door behind her.

“What the hell?” Toni wondered aloud. 

“TT, great seeing you! Your colleague is an asshole. Care to accompany me?”

Toni nodded swiftly and the redhead grabbed her hand, pulling her from the building. “Why, not that I’m complaining, did you punch Reggie in the face?”

“I caught Reggie spying on me. I, at first, thought it was coincidence, but nothing is coincidence as of late. I had gotten out of the shower at my favorite gym and guess who I found peeking around a corner with his camera ready?”

“Reggie,” Toni seethed, trying to control herself from going back up and kicking the shit out of him. She knew he was an asshole, but didn’t realize he was _that_ big of one. 

“He apologized, saying he was trying to get a behind the scenes look at me. I chased him away and came to the office to publicly humiliate him, and give FP a word or two. Turns out this was supposed to be your assignment, but you turned it down,” Cheryl finished, looking at the pinkette who swallowed roughly. 

“Yeah, it was. I couldn’t do that to you though. It’s invasive and wrong.”

The redhead smiled appreciatively. “And I appreciate your good nature. I am one lucky lady. Would you like some coffee?”

“S-sure.”

_She sure is a firecracker._

The two girls continued walking down the block, coming to stop at a fancy cafe on the corner. 

“Six dollars for a latte? Oh, hell no,” Toni sputtered, glancing at the menu through the window. 

_Super eyesight strikes again!_

“I’ll pay.”

“It’s not that I can’t pay-”

“Toni, please let me buy you an expensive cup of coffee. It’s the least I can do.”

“Why?”

“Because... I’ve been awful, in more ways than one.”

“Cher, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you haven’t been awful.”

The redhead looked away from Toni, her eyes were distant like she was struggling with something. The pinkette could hear Cheryl’s heart hammer in her chest as her lips opened and closed in unspoken words. “I-”

Suddenly, the subway entrance down the street exploded; Toni instantly moved to shield Cheryl from the blast. Veronica floated up from the crater, her eyes glowing a bright purple. She seemed stronger, as if the sorceress got a better handle on steering her vessel. 

The girls gripped onto each other as Veronica let out an ear piercing wail and took off flying down the street, seemingly searching for something. She was heading in the direction of the Daily Bugle.

“Holy shit,” Toni breathed, going to let go of Cheryl to rush after the sorceress possessing her friend. The redhead grabbed her hand, pulling her in the opposite direction of her motivation. “Cheryl.”

“Toni!”

The pinkette pulled the redhead down a secluded alley, watching as the people of New York ran past the opening in fear. “I really have to go, Cher. I can’t explain… but I have to do something. It’s important.”

Cheryl watched her closely, her eyes filled with understanding. The understanding was different, but Toni couldn’t quite describe it. 

The pinkette heard a familiar cry and turned. The girls watched as Morgan Le Fey, who held Reggie Mantle upside down by the leg, zoomed past their opening into the alley way. The man was screaming his head off.

They turned back to look at each other, not knowing whether it was appropriate to laugh or not. Their smiles died down quickly as they looked at each other with a deep intensity. Toni raised an eyebrow nervously, not knowing what to do under the gaze of the woman before her.

The redhead lurched forward, grabbing Toni’s face as she pulled her in for a heated kiss, their lips moving against each other passionately. They pulled away and Toni looked at her awestruck. “What was-”

“Go get her, Spider-Woman. Be safe. I would like to continue _this_ , whatever it may be.”

The pinkette’s mouth opened and closed in shock and Cheryl watched her with a soft smile. Toni nodded, pulling off her shirt to reveal her suit. She pulled her mask from her backpack and slipped it on, instantly cloaking her hair. She stuck her back pack to the wall with her webs and took off swinging, dropping her pants as she went. Toni whined slightly, she loved those pants and Aunt Eve would be mad to find out she had lost another pair. 

_All for Reggie Mantle. Well that jerk and the entirety of Earth. Maybe Aunt Eve would understand?_

_Wait, holy shit! Cheryl kissed me!_

_Wait, holy shit! She knows I’m Spider-Woman!_

_Oh, wait, holy shit! I just revealed I’m Spider-Woman to her!_

_Oh my God… we kissed! Her lips are soft! Totally wanna kiss her again._

_Wait, focus. What was I doing?_

_Reggie! Yes! Veronica! Also, yes!_

Toni snapped her attention from her thoughts, quickly catching up to the flying woman; Reggie still screaming his head off much to her amusement. The hero watched as the witch opened up a manhole, widening it with her magic, as she took Reggie down with her.

_The fucking sewer._

Spider-Woman groaned as she stuck to a building, watching as the entrance instantly closed back to its regular size. She had to trail the witch, but didn’t want to get close so as to not alert her. Plus, she had stayed up all night inventing an energy tracker that she built into her mask.

_I’m a genius, what can I say?_

She tapped the side of her mask, and the tracker was brought to life. She scanned the manhole, the energy signature glowing purple like a perfect trail. The dark haired woman smiled at her handy work and she jumped down to the street. She pulled the cover of the manhole off her with webs and leaped down into the water, causing her to gag. 

The rats living down there took one look at her and basically shrugged. They were used to seeing her brightly colored suit chasing bad guys through the tunnels.

_What, shitheads?_

She turned her attention back to the trail of glowing purple and decided the quieter option would be to crawl on the ceiling. She continued following the energy trail; the power the witch left only shone brighter the closer she got to Morgan and her captive. 

The girl rounded a corner, coming to a big open space with many tunnel entrances. She looked down, observing Veronica brewing some sort of elixir on the floor of the opening which was about 20 feet below her. Reggie was tied to a throne looking chair and he scrambled in it, pleading with the witch.

Veronica, or rather Morgan, laughed at him with her multi-layered voice. It reminded Toni of every cheesy, horror movie possession. **_“You’ll do very well as my human sacrifice. I needed a weak, unjust man. Now I can finally leave this God forsaken body.”_ **

“Uh, witchy lady… is it money you’re after? ‘Cause I got some cash! Just _please_ let me go!” Reggie whined, tears dripping down his face. While Toni disliked him, she admired his vulnerability.

**_“I do not desire your worthless paper. I desire power! I desire Earth Realm to be mine!”_ **

_Oh great… She's monologuing._

Spider-Woman took the monologue time to observe Morgan’s witchy hideout. It was pretty basic, a cauldron in the center of the room, Reggie closest to her, a ledge that dipped off to their left leading to a lower level filled with water, a bookcase, and a wooden table behind Morgan. 

_Where the hell did she find a bookcase? I doubt she shopped through IKEA. Also the cauldron? What? Is there a Witches-R-Us I don’t know about?_

The bookcase held one book while the table held the other book she stole. The second book was open on the table, but it was too far away for Toni to be able to read it. The hero huffed, tapping her mask to disable the tracker.

“What’s happening?” a voice whispered behind her. 

“Sheesh, can you not sneak up on me like that? I almost knocked you out!” Spider-Woman said, grabbing her chest.

Black Cat smiled at her, “I thought you had some sixth sense?”

“I do… for _threats.”_

“Are you sure I’m not a threat?”

“Positive, Kitty Cat,” Spider-Woman scoffed with a roll of her eyes. Black Cat smiled at her warmly, her eyes looking at her with a gooey softness. “Uh, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” She smiled.

“Like _that!_ It’s weird.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Black Cat replied, leaning down next to her to get a better look at the soon to be battlefield. 

“Okay then,” the red and yellow clad woman replied. She began pointing out what she had discovered. “Books are over there, _one_ of them has to have the spell you were talking about.”

“You’re lucky I’m here, I brought the amulet _and_ the gold encasement that I created to entrap her in. Who’s the hero now?” Black Cat smirked.

“Still me; I may consider taking you on as my _side-kick_ if we make it outta this one.”

The woman just chuckled at the idea. “What’s the plan, Bug Brain?”

“You get the dumb ass and I’ll get the books?” Spider-Woman shrugged.

“Ugh, men,” the white haired woman sighed. “Deal.” Spider-Woman wrapped her arm around Black Cat’s waist, pulling the woman into her side tightly. “Whoa, easy there, Tiger.”

“What happened to Bug Brain?” The hero chuckled. “Relax, Kitty, I’m just getting us down to ground level. No offense, your grapple hook is beyond loud. I can hear you coming from 3 miles away.”

Spider-Woman spun a web on the ground of the tunnel they were in and gripped it as they slowly began to descend down the wall to the lower level. Black Cat watched over their shoulder making sure both Morgan and loud mouth Reggie didn’t see them. Once they reached the ground, the dark haired woman let go of her partner and the girls split off, their steps silent.

The hero moved around the perimeter of the room, which was shaped like a giant circle, in a low crouch to avoid Morgan’s purple gaze. She watched Black Cat move in on Reggie while Morgan was busy mixing whatever elixir she was creating. 

_For being some all powerful being she sure is oblivious._

Spider-Woman turned and dove behind the bookcase, peeking around to look at the book sitting on the shelf. The book was black leather and heavy looking. 

**_“Dear Reginald, are you ready to become my sacrifice?”_ **Morgan laughed, moving towards the blubbering man. Spider-Woman watched nervously as Black Cat hid behind the throne like chair Reggie was strapped to. 

“No, please, no,” he cried. 

Spider-Woman knew it was her time. She took both books swiftly, hiding back behind the bookcase. The blue one that sat open on the table was inscribed by Merlin while the black one from the shelf was not. She figured the blue one held the spell, the only problem was… she couldn’t read it.

_Shit, I should’ve told Kitty to get the books._

Morgan ripped open Reggie’s button up, rubbing his chest where his heart was with a sly smile. Toni hated seeing her friend like this; Veronica was as kind and shy as they came and Morgan was turning her into some murderous bitch. The dark haired woman breathed out slowly, remembering that Veronica had no control here. Maybe she would be okay after this was all over? Maybe she could return to class like nothing happened?

Morgan turned back to fetch her books only to be met with an empty table and shelf. She screamed in annoyance as she frantically looked within her area.

Suddenly, Veronica stumbled forward, her eyes their usual brown color. “What? Where am I? What’s going on?” she mumbled, her voice thick with tears. Toni felt her heart breaking. 

“Hey, freak! Let me go!” Reggie screamed at her.

“Who are you? Where are we?”

“Fuckin’ beats me! You took me here!”

“I don’t know what’s going on,” the girl cried. “I can barely see. Where are my glasses? I want my mom.”

She sounded so confused, so _broken._

Spider-Woman suddenly was picked up from her spot behind the bookcase, by an invisible force, and thrown across the room, smacking into the wall. She caught herself with a web. The web line was cut and she plummeted to the floor, crashing face first into the concrete. She still held the blue book in her hand.

“What?” She asked, looking around the room as she leapt to her feet.

 _Nothing’s here?_ _Come on Spidey Sense!_

Veronica let out an ear piercing scream, her body lifting from the floor as Morgan seemed to repossess her. 

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Black Cat called, as she began cutting through the ropes that held Reggie with her claws. “Morgan can leave her host in some sort of astral projection type thing, except she can interact with the outside world.”

“That would have been fantastic to know, thank you,” the dark haired woman called back.

“Sorry!”

“Hey, lady,” Reggie said. “Who the hell are you?”

“The woman saving your life, that’s who!” Black Cat replied, pulling the now cut ropes from his body.

 **_“How dare you interrupt the great Morgan Le Fey! I will kill you both!”_ **Veronica screamed, her eyes glowing bright purple once again. She shot a blast at Spider-Woman that she easily flipped over. The sorceress turned her attention to the white haired woman as she helped Reggie escape, charging at her full force. She knocked Black Cat back and threw a ball of magic, hitting the thief-turned-hero straight in the chest. Black Cat yelped as she was shot backwards, her body smoking from the assault. Morgan flew right over to her, lifting her in the air by her neck. Black Cat lashed out with her claws catching Veronica in the face. Morgan screamed and both Veronica and Black Cat dropped as the sorceress released her host for a mere second.

“What the fuck is going on?” Veronica cried, holding her face. Five bloody claw marks ran down her skin and she held her face, clearly in pain.

“Guess my _iron_ tipped claws did the trick,” the white haired woman smiled. 

“No, no, no, we can’t hurt Veronica,” Spider-Woman said, rushing over.

Veronica screamed as Morgan repossessed her, easily knocking back Spider-Woman and Black Cat. The girls scrambled to get up and Spider-Woman passed her companion the book, hoping with her knowledge she could find the spell. Again, Morgan Le Fey’s concentration landed on the black latex clad woman. She shot a high energy beam at her, catching her in the side during her aerial to avoid the blast. Black Cat was sent launching backwards and Spider-Woman jumped up to catch both her and the book, in a smooth, swift movement. 

“You okay?” Spider-Woman asked, panic laced in her voice as they landed in a tunnel. 

The witch screamed at their disappearance as she shot magic blasts at the tunnel. **_“Come and face me cowards! You are the ones who protect Earth? Pathetic! I will take this planet with ease, but I will not make your deaths swift!”_ **

_Great, she’s monologuing… again._

Black Cat coughed, gripping her side. Her costume was torn and she was heavily bleeding from her wound. “My s-suit… it gives me my powers… if-if she damages it and it f-fails… I’ll die.”

“Not gonna let that happen. Stay here, find the spell. I’ll deal with the bitch.”

“Be safe,” Black Cat breathed, gripping the dark haired woman’s forearm as she sat up slowly.

Spider-Woman nodded at her before back flipping out of the tunnel, swinging around the room. She located Reggie hiding in the corner; he looked terrified and completely unsure of how to get out. Her attention on him was lost when she got blasted out of the air, her suit withholding the magical energy better than Black Cat’s.

_We have to get her some upgrades when this is done._

She caught herself from hitting the pavement, swinging past Morgan with her tongue out. “Hey Veronica, I know you’re in there.”

 **_“Veronica’s not here,”_ ** Morgan shrieked, shooting more balls of magic. Toni easily dodged them, feeling the heat radiating off of them.

“Clearly! Some witch you are! Having to possess some college student? You’re the pathetic one,” Spider-Woman called, going into the splits mid-air to dodge another blast from Morgan. She spun another web line, catching herself to continue her swing around the sewer. 

**_“Shut up, worm!”_ **

“I’m a spider! Didn’t know you were _stupid_ too.”

“Spider-Woman!” Black Cat called from her tunnel hideout. “Hit her with your electricity! I found the spell!”

“But Veronica!”

“It won’t hurt her, I promise. Just _do it.”_

The hero dropped from her web, landing perfectly on her feet. She braced herself as her hands began to glow yellow from the electricity coursing through her. She put both hands up shooting at Morgan Le Fey. The witch screamed at the shocks hitting her and Black Cat jumped down from the tunnel, landing in a tuck and roll. She rushed over as quickly as she could with her bleeding side and began to read the incantation in Merlin’s book, the amulet and gold case in her hand. _“Thàinig sinn gu do shaoradh. Rinn thu. Tha gaol agam ort agus cha b ’urrainn dad sam bith sin atharrachadh. Cha b ’urrainn fiabhras bàta mo chumail air falbh.”_

Morgan Le Fey screamed loudly and Veronica slumped to her knees and passed out as the sorceress left her body. 

“Keep blasting her,” Black Cat called.

“I’m t-trying,” Spider-Woman responded, falling to one of her knees. The electricity took a lot out of her and she felt the corners of her vision blurring slightly. She screamed out trying to keep her blasts on the spirit going. Morgan matched her screams, writhing in pain.

Black Cat held the amulet up, continuing to chat the spell over and over, _“Thàinig sinn gu do shaoradh. Rinn thu. Tha gaol agam ort agus cha b ’urrainn dad sam bith sin atharrachadh. Cha b ’urrainn fiabhras bàta mo chumail air falbh.”_

The black haired woman dropped to both of her knees, her vision going in and out and she struggled to stay conscious from the energy she was exuding. She watched as Morgan began to disappear into the amulet Black Cat was holding and she tried to move her blasts with her to ensure she got into the amulet. 

“You can stop,” Black Cat shouted and Spider-Woman fell forward breathing heavily as her eyes fluttered open and closed. Morgan Le Fey let out a final scream as she was trapped back into the amulet.

The purple gem began to glow brightly and an energy blast radiated from it sending both girls launching backwards.

The red and yellow clad hero’s eyes opened slowly, her vision taking it’s time to focus. She groaned, pushing herself off the ground slowly. Veronica was passed out to her left, Reggie was shaking to her right, and the amulet was right in front of her. She quickly dove for it, encasing it in the fallen gold sphere Black Cat had brought with her. 

_Kitty?_

“Black Cat?” Spider-Woman called, frantically looking for her feline friend. She was nowhere to be seen on the lower level. Toni gulped and looked down the drop to her right, seeing red hair floating in the water below her. “Cheryl?” Toni called out. 

She quickly dove down, splashing into the water below her. She swam over to the redhead, who was passed out and bleeding badly. Her suit was badly torn in multiple areas and her mask had been knocked clean from her face, more than likely the cause of her hair reveal. It floated in the water nearby and Toni swiftly collected it, hoping it would still work to hide her identity. She swam back over, watching Cheryl’s chest rise and fall shallowly.

_She’s still breathing, thank God._

The hero placed Cheryl’s mask on her face, letting out a sigh of relief when her wet red hair was replaced with white. Toni picked her up from the water, and held her close to her chest as she spun a web to get them back up to where Veronica and Reggie were. 

“Reggie, get Veronica. We have to go,” she yelled out, causing the man to run up and scoop the other passed out girl in his arms. “Hold on tight, I’m hoping I can carry you all and the amulet.”

“Hoping?” Reggie gulped.

Toni watched Cheryl sleeping in her bed. After the pinkette had managed to get everyone safely to the surface and Reggie and Veronica in the hands of the police and paramedics at the scene, she took Cheryl home, figuring the redhead wouldn’t want to deal with the hospital and the questions they would ask her. 

The hero snuck in through Cheryl’s window and began patching her wounds with her webbing. She knew it was a makeshift job, but her web fluid formula was biodegradable and highly binding, ensuring that the redhead wouldn’t bleed out in her sleep.

Toni wanted to do more, she wanted to be able to do more. She wasn’t a nurse like her Aunt and couldn’t just sneak the woman in, but she knew Cheryl was going to wake up in pain.

The pinkette moved from her position on the bed as she put her mask back on, wondering what the next step was. Cheryl’s bed began to glow blue and a soft robotic female voice played out. “ _Cheryl Blossom, 43% damage inflicted. Healing process will begin in 3... 2...1…”_ Toni watched in awe as Cheryl’s bed encased her in a protective bubble, needles sticking into her to deliver life saving medicine. _“Healing process will take about 6 hours to complete.”_

_Where in the hell did she get this tech? I wonder if Stark knows about this. I totally want one._

The hero sighed to herself, watching as her friend, if she could even call her that, was being fixed up. Cheryl sure was full of surprises. The surprises complicated things, but also made complete sense. Toni felt like an idiot for not seeing the obvious signs that Cheryl and Black Cat were one and the same. Cheryl had realized who Toni was soon after they met in real life.

Part of the pinkette didn’t want Cheryl to be Black Cat. They had inflicted so much hurt on each other for the past few years they had known each other as their super alter egos. Toni _really_ liked Cheryl and hoped the redhead could forgive her for their past rivalry. She also hoped that Cheryl would give up her life of crime to become her _partner_ , both super and love wise. 

The pinkette pushed her confusing, deep thoughts down, and took a final look at the redhead healing in her bed.

_I’m just glad she’s safe. I’m glad this all worked out. Even though she technically caused all of this, she asked for my help and I couldn’t have done it without her. She saved everyone._

Toni gave Cheryl a polite nod and disappeared back out of her window and into the darkness of the city.

**__**

**One Week Later**

Toni walked through NYU, a smile on her face, as she exited her last class for the day. Veronica had called her and told her she had the flu and would be returning to school shortly. The pinkette was thrilled to know that Veronica seemed alright after the whole ordeal and was even happier she didn’t hurt her in the fight.

Reggie… Reggie had actually been kinder. Not so much to her, but to Spider-Woman. He praised the hero, wrote good articles about her, and even defended her against some of FP’s distasteful opinions. He hadn’t completely changed his ways, but Reggie seemed more appreciative of what he had.

Toni hadn’t seen Cheryl in a week. She was worried that she wasn’t okay, but honestly didn’t know how to check on her. She didn’t want to bust into her bedroom in the middle of the night uninvited and she didn’t have the redhead's phone number to even give her a quick call.

“Toni?” A familiar voice called and the pinkette stopped dead in her tracks. She turned slowly to see Cheryl smiling shyly at her.

“Hey, Kitty Cat. Glad to see you’re up,” Toni replied, pulling her into a crushing hug. Cheryl winced at the action, but sunk into her embrace all the same. “How are you feeling?”

“A lot better. Thank you… for saving me.”

“You literally saved the whole planet, Cheryl. You’re the one I should be thanking.”

“What did you do with the amulet?” Cheryl asked, her eyes filled with worry. 

“I threw it into the ocean. Hopefully no one ever finds it again,” Toni replied, watching as the redhead decompressed right before her very eyes. 

They stood in comfortable silence and Cheryl bit on her bottom lip, “So you are Spider-Woman.”

“And you’re Black Cat,” Toni retorted, instantly. The pinkette had realized quickly that Cheryl’s emotions were easily read by her eyes.

The brown orbs filled with distress as she looked at her counterpart. “Yes, I am. I hope you don’t end up hating me for all of the trouble I’ve caused you.”

“I could never hate you,” Toni smiled sincerely. “We make a _great_ team.”

“I’m not sure, Toni. I’m a criminal… you’re a hero-” Cheryl’s words were cut off by Toni’s lips pressing on her own. The redhead’s eyes fluttered closed, and she cupped Toni’s cheek with her right hand as the pinkette wrapped her arms around Cheryl’s waist, pulling her in closer. The kiss was soft and sweet. _Innocent. Good._ It was everything they wanted out of the connection. It was magic, and not of the Morgan Le Fey kind.

“I hope you know that I’m here for you no matter what, Cher. I really like you and I can’t imagine you _not_ being in my life whether we end up together or not. You’re a good person. You just gotta _stop_ stealing.”

The redhead blinked slowly, mulling over the pinkette’s words with a smile on her face. “Well, I suppose it would be a _crime_ to not see where this goes.

Toni laughed, giving Cheryl a quick peck on her lips. “Horrible joke.”

“I learned from the best,” the redhead winked, earning an eye roll from the girl in front of her as she gripped her hand, linking their fingers together tightly. “And as for the stealing… I’ll mull over your request.”

“My request that I have been _requesting_ for two years? Come on, Cher.”

“I’m just pulling on your _web,”_ Cheryl laughed.

“Another terrible joke,” Toni smirked, obviously enjoying the redhead letting loose.

“I will point out that if it came from your mouth you’d think it was great.”

“‘Cause I’m me… The _Amazing_ Spider-Woman.”

Cheryl smiled widely. “That you are, TT.”

“You’re more amazing though. Five languages? Are you kidding?” The pinkette exclaimed.

Cheryl blushed at the comment. “Almost six.”

“Even more amazing,” Toni replied, they were quiet for a few breaths. “I’m happy we’re here.”

“I am as well. It’s nice to have someone who _understands._ It’s even better that it’s you.”

“Would you like to revisit that expensive coffee place?” The pinkette chuckled, squeezing Cheryl’s hand lovingly.

“On me, TT. Let’s go.”

“Should we race there?” Toni teased. “You’re getting pretty good at swinging.”

“I am currently still healing from broken ribs,” Cheryl replied with an arched eyebrow and a slight frown.

“Okay, so… rain check then?” The pinkette smirked, kissing the redhead’s hand.

“Rain check.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you!  
> Leave a comment and kudos!
> 
> @kingdomtopaz on twitter
> 
> fun fact: the "spell" Cheryl reads out is actually in "Scottish Gaelic" bc google translate doesn't have Old English. The spell is also just comprised of some soft choni quotes bc i'm unoriginal lmao.


End file.
